Armenia shells Azerbaijani positions in Gadabay, Kalbajar, Nakhchivan
By Vafa Ismayilova
Azerbaijan's army positions have again come under fire by Armenian troops in western Gadabay region, liberated Kalbajar region and Nakhchivan's Sadarak region, the Defence Ministry has reported.
On August 12, the Armenian armed forces intermittently shelled Gadabay region's Zamanli, Garavallar settlements, Kalbajar region's Zaylik settlement from Chambarak region's Chambarak, Ttujur settlements and Basarkechar region's Ashaghi Shorja settlement from 2220 on August 11 to 0005 on August 12. They used small arms, the ministry said on August 12.
On August 11, from 1620 to 2105, units of the Armenian armed forces fired at the Azerbaijani army positions in the direction of Heydarabad settlment of Nakhchivan's Sadarak region from Vedi region's Arazdeyen settlement, Basarkechar region's Goysu settlement and Chambarak region. They also fired at the country's positions in Gadabay region's Galakand and Zamanli settlements. The Armenian armed forces periodically used various calibre weapons and sniper rifles, the ministry said on August 11.
The ministry ruled out any casualties among the Azerbaijani army personnel. It added that the opposing side was silenced by retaliatory fire.
The Azerbaijani army units control the operational situation, the ministry said.
On August 11, the Defence Ministry pledged that the Azerbaijani army will continue taking all appropriate measures to thwart Armenia's provocations.
Against the background of escalating tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the ministry urged the Russian peacekeepers, which have been temoprarily deployed on Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territories, to end the illegal deployment of Armenian troops on the areas they currently control. The act is in violation of the ceasefire deal that Baku, Moscow and Yerevan signed on November 10, 2020, to end the 44-day war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The Defence Ministry underlined that the Armenian troops are deployed in Karabakh against the background of new Armenian Defence Minister Arshak Karapetyan's irresponsible and provocative order to the Armenian armed forces to use force by any means.
It should be noted that Azerbaijan’s Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov on August 2 instructed the army to be ready for possible Armenian provocation in light of provocations on the border.
The past three weeks saw the worst escalation of tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the signing of the November statement that ended the last year’s hostilities.
Nakhchivan's Sadarak region and Kalbajar region, which was liberated from Armenia's occupation last year, have been in the centre of this escalation over the said period.
--
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.
You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Thank you!